Picture this, it’s a Saturday afternoon and you are waiting in line at the movie theater. Suddenly your heart starts racing, you are having difficulty breathing, that feeling of impending doom has crept up. You feel as though you are going to pass out. It may appear to everyone around that nothing is going on. But you want to escape the situation, run away. In a matter of minutes everything returns to normal, but in the back of your head, the memory of that feeling remains.
Have you ever felt like this before? Perhaps just reading it has brought on feelings of panic. If so, it is possible that you could suffer from panic attacks.
What is a Panic Attack
Panic is simply a physical response to stress. It is often referred to the ‘fight or flight’ response. Panic is actually nature’s way of providing us with an alarm system, it is your normal response to danger.
When panic occurs and there is no actual source of danger, then it is typically one of two causes. Stress or panic disorder, which will produce panic attacks.
You may experience some or all of the following during a panic attack:
- rapid heartbeat
- sweating, shaking or trembling
- shortness of breath or inability to breath
- nausea and dizziness
- tingling sensation or numbness in the fingers or toes
- a sense of fear or dread
- chest pain
- hot flashes or chills
- feeling that you are going to go crazy or die
What Causes Panic Attacks
In today’s world, stress is not typically caused by physical danger. Most stress is caused by normal daily activity and is not harmful to us. However, too much stress is dangerous to our body and in some cases it can cause panic attacks. This is particularly true if we have experienced an additional trauma or burden such as the loss of a loved one or big change such as a new job or move. While normal stress can cause anxiety, when panic attacks become regular a panic disorder may be the cause.
Stress is not the only cause of panic attacks. Some researchers are linking the panic attacks to physical causes.
Most individuals suffering from panic disorder never get properly diagnosed. Many will suffer the physical and psychological effects of changing their lives, their jobs and their recreational activities to accommodate their panic attacks before taking action to relieve themselves of panic. The symptoms of panic attacks may also lead a person to believe they have a dangerous physical condition and seek treatment for various unrelated diseases and conditions.
How Do You Treat Panic Disorder
There are various methods of treating panic disorder. Some believe that you must treat the spiritual, physical, and mental aspects to rid yourself of panic attacks.
If you think you have been experiencing panic attacks you should visit your physician for diagnosis or to be referred to a psychiatrist. While the physical symptoms may not be connected to a mental condition, often the fear of having panic attacks in public leads to phobias that may need to be treated as well.
A physician or therapist may use a combination of medication and therapy to treat the panic attacks and help a person to overcome related phobias.
There are alternative therapies that may be considered as well. Panic Away is one such treatment has proven effective in eliminating panic attacks in over 27,000 people.
Meditation and Reiki are effective in lowering stress levels and therefore reducing panic attacks.
EFT, or Emotional Freedom Techniques, is an energy therapy system that works amazingly well at helping to reduce the frequency and level of panic. EFT is not limited to panic or mental disorders and users worldwide have found it effective in treating many physical and mental issues as well as for achieving life goals.
Whichever method you choose, the good news is that panic attacks respond very well to treatment and those who receive treatment can lead healthy, normal lives.
